At its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June 2023, Apple offered a first look at iOS 17, the latest iteration of the iPhone’s operating system. As a significant update, iOS 17 adds many cutting-edge features for iPhones, including live Voicemail transcriptions, contact posters, a StandBy battery-extending mode, improved health tracking features, interactive widgets, and more.
With dozens of groundbreaking additions spanning communication, productivity, health, and beyond, iOS 17 promises to improve the overall iPhone experience. The preview highlights Apple’s continued commitment to evolving its devices via impactful annual iOS releases that bring expected refinements and excitement through trailblazing new features. iOS 17 reflects Apple’s ambition to set the pace for innovation in the mobile device landscape. Its unveiling generated substantial enthusiasm about the upcoming tools and capabilities that will soon be in millions of users’ hands.
Top 5 Features Of iOS 17
Of all the new capabilities previewed for iOS 17, these five stand out as the most exciting and impactful:
1. Standby Mode
One of the most intriguing additions to iOS 17 is the new StandBy mode. This feature transforms your idle iPhone into an intelligent display screen, providing glanceable information designed to be viewed from afar when the device is charging on its side. Standby presents information like the time, weather, and photos without unlocking your phone. Users can further customize StandBy by adding widgets for clocks, live sports scores, food tracking, and more. It aims to turn the iPhone into a convenient ambient information hub whenever it’s not actively used.
2. FaceTime
FaceTime gains three exciting new capabilities in iOS 17. First, users can now record video or audio messages when someone misses a FaceTime call. This allows them to share a personalized update that the recipient can watch or listen to later. These recorded responses can also be conveniently played back on Apple Watch.
Second, fun augmented reality effects can be added to FaceTime videos using hand gestures and motions. For example, showing a thumbs-up triggers animated confetti or fireworks behind you. This brings an engaging, interactive element to video calls.
Finally, Apple TV will support FaceTime calls directly from its app or iPhones handed off to the TV. With the iPhone as the camera, users can seamlessly initiate or transfer FaceTime conversations to Apple TV for a living room call experience.
3. Contact Posters
The new Contact Posters feature in iOS 17 lets users customize the caller ID information displayed when they call someone. Call recipients will see a tailored image, such as a user’s Memoji avatar or chosen photo, along with personalized text fonts and background options selected by the caller. This allows iPhone users to present a more expressive, individualized identifier when contacting contacts.
4. Live Voicemail
The new Live Voicemail capability in iOS 17 transcribes incoming voicemail messages in real-time, allowing users to view the transcript on screen as the caller leaves a message. This lets users glance at the voicemail content as it’s being recorded and decide whether to answer the call. For privacy, all transcription is done on-device by the iPhone’s Neural Engine, keeping voicemail data fully secure. Additionally, calls flagged as spam by carriers won’t trigger Live Voicemail and will be automatically declined.
5. The New Journal App
While not part of the initial iOS 17 public beta, Apple previewed an upcoming Journal App allowing users to chronicle life events and memories. Leveraging on-device machine learning, the Journal app will offer personalized prompts highlighting photos, music, workouts, and other special moments that users may want to write about and preserve. It aims to provide an intuitive new way to appreciate and document meaningful experiences.
The iOS 17 update is scheduled to be compatible with a wide range of recent iPhone models, including the iPhone XS and later, the SE 2nd generation and later, and all iPhone 14 variants.
Eager users can get early access by installing the third iOS 17 public beta through Apple’s Beta Software Program once they register their eligible iPhones. This provides an opportunity to test the latest features before they are released.
